Lawrence Okolie and Kevin Lerena pay tribute to the #PurseBidHeads as their WBC bridgerweight title struggle heads to a Sept. 20 listening to. Photograph credit score: WBC Boxing
Lawrence Okolie and Kevin Lerena had been granted one more remaining final likelihood.
The Ring has confirmed {that a} one-week extension was granted for the beleaguered WBC bridgerweight title struggle. An Oct. 1 date was initially put aside for the session however is now pushed again to Oct. 8 ought to a deal nonetheless not be reached.
“The WBC has given all issues to each side to attempt to attain an amicable settlement to stage the necessary struggle,” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman acknowledged. “Having communicated this previous weekend with each side the WBC will lengthen the negotiation interval for the final time.
Okolie is because of make the primary protection of his WBC bridgerweight title. Lerena is the necessary challenger in ready. The 2 beforehand informed the WBC {that a} deal was reached however the matter was thought of in default when neither a date nor location was correctly secured.
Sulaiman initially referred to as for a Sept. 20 deadline and listening to.
“The necessary title struggle should return to a handbag bid,” Sulaiman beforehand confirmed. “The settlement initially made has fallen by way of.”
Two extra extensions had been since granted, regardless of earlier claims that each had been ultimately likelihood corral.
Per WBC guidelines, ten-percent of the very best accepted bid will probably be positioned in escrow as a win bonus. Okolie (20-1, 15 knockouts) will obtain the favorable finish of a 70-30 cut up from the remaining stability.
Okolie knocked out Poland’s Lukasz Rozanski in the primary spherical to win the title on Could 26 in Rzeszow. “The Large Sauce” floored Rozanski (15-1, 14 KOs) 3 times to grab the WBC bridgerweight title.
With the win, Okolie grew to become a two-division titlist—for many who acknowledge the WBC-created weight class. The 2016 Nice Britain Olympian beforehand held the WBO cruiserweight title. That reign resulted in his first profession defeat when he dropped a choice to Chris Billam-Smith final Could in Bournemouth, England.
South Africa’s Lerena (30-3, 14 KOs) enters the title struggle on the heels of a loss. It got here at heavyweight, albeit in a reputable displaying. The 32-year-old southpaw was outpointed by unbeaten heavyweight Justis Huni on the March 8 Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
It snapped a two-fight win streak after a third-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois. Lerena almost received the secondary WBA heavyweight title after he dropped Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) 3 times within the opening spherical of their Dec. 2022 battle. Dubois rallied to drop him twice en path to the stoppage win and has since received the IBF belt. He defends versus Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) this weekend in London.
Lerena beforehand held the IBO cruiserweight title. The belt is an enormous deal in South Africa however largely WGAF to the remainder of the world. The creation of the bridgerweight division was an ideal match for Lerena and others like him who’re too small for heavyweight. He outpointed Ryad Merhy of their WBC title eliminator final Could 13 in Kempton Park, South Africa.
